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Given the importance and popularity of the rankings program, the USA Triathlon Operations Department, the Age Group Commission, and members from several other advisory groups including the Women’s Commission and the Senior Task Force have created a program that is as accurate and fair as possible in determining how athletes rank across the country.

Click the section links below to jump to the area that corresponds to your question.

Pacesetter: any athlete who completed three or more triathlons the previous year (two or more of any other sport). Beginning in 2014 membership status will not affect whether or not one is a pacesetter.

Par Time: estimated fastest time possible by an amateur athlete and determined by the pacesetters in the race. Note: Par time is specific to the course and will change from year to year based on who is racing.

Calculated Time: A pacesetter’s time – ((time in race*(overall score/100))

Original Score: initial comparison of athlete time against par time (athlete time / par time)

Race Score: Score in the race (an inverse of the Original Score) * 100

Overall Score: An average of the top three original scores in on-road triathlon (top two of all other sports). For annual members, the overall score is used to determine one’s National Ranking each year

National Ranking: an athlete’s placement among other athletes of the same gender and in the same age group. The athlete with the best score will ranked number 1.

Athletes participating as part of Team USA at ITU World Championship races will receive a ranking for these races

A race must have more than one finisher in order to be ranked

Race type must be one of the following: On-Road Triathlon, Off-Road Triathlon, Duathlon, Aquathlon, or Aquabike. (Due to the limited number of Off-Road Duathlon, Aquathlon, and Aquabike races, off-road and on-road races are ranked together in these sports.)

Each multi-sport discipline is ranked separately

Only Adult races are ranked (youth athletes participating in an adult race will be ranked)

Clinics and Youth races are not ranked by USA Triathlon

Draft-Legal races are not ranked.

The race must have a multi-sport component. (In 2011 we witnessed some issues with events that cancelled multiple legs or converted them to another sport [i.e. a triathlon swim, bike, run became a run, run, run]. Single sport events cannot be ranked by our system.)

If a leg is cancelled or changed within 24 hours of the start of the race, the race will be ranked as it was originally sanctioned. (For example: A triathlon (Swim/Bike/Run) has the swim cancelled the morning of the race, or the swim is substituted with an extra run, it will be ranked as a triathlon.) If the leg is cancelled or changed more than 24 hours in advance, the race will be ranked as the type of event it became. For instance: a triathlon with a cancelled swim will become a duathlon.

Everyone in the race must have traveled the same distance in the event. Occasionally we sanction events that are based on how far a person can travel in a set amount of time (vs. how fast someone can travel a specific distance) these types of races are not ranked

Athlete rules

Race age is determined by one’s age on 12/31 of the race year

Race Age determines the age group you race under

To be included in the Final Rankings, an athlete must have an active membership on 11/1 of the race year

Athletes who do not finish the race or are disqualified will not be ranked

Women receive a 10% gender grade bonus in each race

Athletes who hold an elite license in Triathlon (or are Foreign or Collegiate Elite) will appear in the results but will not qualify for a national ranking in any sport. Elite Duathlete and Off-Road Triathletes are eligible for age group rankings in any discipline other than that in which they hold the elite license

Overall ranking scores are calculated using each athletes top three On-Road Triathlon scores (top 2 for all other sports)

All Athletes who receive an overall score will be used as pacesetters for the next season

If you discover an error in your rankings, you must notify the membership department by midnight Mountain Time on January 31 of the following race year. Request for corrections received after this date will be denied.

Top 10% of each age group receive All American Honor

*USAT reserves the right to update rules in order to ensure a fair and equitable ranking*

Aquabike

Beginning in 2014, Aquabike races will be ranked using the same pacesetter method used for all other sports.